The Mysterious Sender
by Shade the Hero
Summary: Cloud leaves to get away from everyone before they make a big deal of his birthday, and is gone for most of the day. At the same time everyone starts receiving strange gifts from a mysterious stranger who signs every note as T.B.B. Everyone's confused, but that still doesn't stop them from celebrating their favorite chocobo's birthday.


_Edit: Hey guys, I know there were some typos in this, but I wasn't able to fix them right away. Everything should be accurate now. I wrote this on the 10th and wasn't able to upload it until yesterday which is why my A/N at the bottum was wrong. I really wanted to upload this on his birthday, but life doesn't always want to work the way you want it to. Anyways~ Hope you enjoy this and don't worry guys, I have been writing more chapters for my other stories, I just can't upload them at the current time. Hopefully that'll change soon. Keep your fingers crossed. ^^_

_Final Fantasy 7 and all related characters belong to Square Enix._

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**The Mysterious Sender**

A Cloud Strife Birthday Fic

_By: Shade the Hero_

_~*~Happy 28th!~*~_

Cloud Strife never was one to enjoy birthdays, especially his own. Sure he made sure the kids' birthdays were special. Marlene got a new dress and Denzel got a new tool belt complete with all the tools he'd need to work on a motorcycle. To the boy's confusion it also came with a promise that after he learned how to work on one, Cloud would teach him how to ride one. Boy did that earn the blonde some cool points. He had never seen Denzel smile that much. Cloud also tried to make Tifa's birthday special, but she was so modest and humble that anything he tried to do, she would always say it was too much.

Now when it came to his birthday, Cloud didn't really see it as special. It was just another ordinary day. Of corse, his friends constantly got onto his case and told him if anyone deserved a special day it was him, but he really didn't see what the big deal was. Sure he had saved the planet, but so had they. They all had their played their part. It wasn't like he did it all by himself. In reality, if it wasn't for them he had no idea where he'd be. Besides, his past birthdays hadn't been the best. Aside from the five-year gap that was missing from his life, making him feel like he was five years younger than what he really was, memories of his childhood were filled with lonely birthdays with just him and his mother.

She made him a cake, gave him a gift or two, mostly new clothes and that was it. Aside from the rare visit from Tifa it was just another normal day. Still, Cloud felt like doing something different this year, but not for himself. He was turning twenty-eight. He had some extra Gil he had saved up so he decided to do something fun for a change. Without a word to Tifa or the kids he took off on Fenrir and headed out of town.

A little while later the kids came down for breakfast, unable to ignore the smell of the unusually delicious aroma drifting from the kitchen. Tifa was hard at work making a nice meal.

"Morning," she greeted them as she flipped over an egg. "Grab a seat, this is almost ready."

The kids sat down, knowing what day it was. "Where's Cloud?" asked Denzel.

"Not sure," Tifa replied, "He was already up when I woke up. He's probably in the garage."

But Marlene shook her head, "I heard the bike start up this morning. I think he left somewhere."

"What?" asked Tifa as she accidentally burst the yolk. "But, it's his birthday! I was making this breakfast to start things off and the others are coming by later."

"Maybe he had some deliveries to make?" suggested Denzel.

"That could be," replied Tifa as she looked up at the calender. It was a Monday. "Fine, I'll make him something else later."

They sat down to enjoy their breakfast when the phone rang. Tifa wiped her mouth with her napkin as she got up to answer it. She had to pull her ear away from the phone. The kids could hear the ninja princess from where they sat.

"Tifa! This is just unbelievable! I don't know who's responsible, but when I find 'em I'm gonna-"

"Whoa, Yuffie, calm down. I'm about to go deaf," Tifa interrupted.

"Sorry, but I-I'm just in shock. Whoever it was knew I was in town and knew my weakness!"

This made Tifa worry, "Weakness? Yuffie, what happened, you're not hurt are you?"

"Huh? Oh! No, no! Nothing like that. I got this box at my doorstep and it was FULL of Materia!"

"Materia?" repeated Tifa, a bit surprised.

"Uh-huh. All different kinds too, except for summons, but there's some really great stuff in here, stuff I can make good use of."

"Did you see who left it?" asked Tifa.

"No, but there was a note. It said, '_Thanks for making me laugh, even though I always manage to hide it well' _and they signed it T.B.B. I wonder what that stands for?"

"It sounds like you have a secret admirer," Tifa said with a bit of a smirk clear in her voice.

"Huh. Maybe. They might have been around to see me kick butt when that Bahamut wreaked havoc in town."

"Well, if you get any leads, let me know, okay? You're still coming later tonight, right?" asked Tifa.

"Oh you bet, I wouldn't miss it for the world! Later!" replied the energetic princess.

"Alright, see you then and don't get into too much trouble with that materia," Tifa replied, but the ninja had already hung up. With a sigh she did the same.

Later that morning, Tifa was doing some laundry when the phone rang once again. This time it was Barret. Wondering what was up she answered the phone.

"The weirdest thing just happened," he started.

"Well, hello to you to, Barret," Tifa replied.

"Sorry, but I'm just surprised is all. Someone sent me a large box full of equipment for my gun arm. There's even an upgrade for a sniper rifle and a small cannon!"

"You too?" she asked.

"Whaddaya mean 'you too'? Someone send you something?"

"Not me, Yuffie got a package sent to her as well," Tifa replied.

"Was it from someone named T.B.B.?"

"Yeah," she replied, "Did yours come with a note?"

"As a matter of fact, it did. It said, '_Looks like you could use an upgrade, goddess knows how many times that old relic you call an arm's needed repairs. Maybe this'll help._'"

"Strange, they sent Yuffie Materia. I wonder who this T.B.B. is?" Tifa pondered aloud.

"Beats me, but whoever it is, I gotta thank 'em somehow. These upgrades are off the hook! Gotta go. I wanna try 'em out before I head over there. I'll let you know which one's my favorite! Later!"

With a click he hung up and Tifa did the same. As she did a man entered through the bar. It took Tifa a minute to realize it was a delivery man. After living with one for so long it was strange seeing someone else deliver her a package.

"Package for a Denzel and a Marlene Wallace?" he asked as he sat one of the boxes on the table. It seemed light weight, but the second box was really heavy, so he set it on the floor next to the table.

Tifa walked up to the boxes to look at them and then back up at the man. He wiped his forehead and removed his hat revealing short, dark hair. He straightened himself up before holding out a clipboard and a pen, "Sign here, please?"

"Sir, may I asked who the packages are from?" she asked.

The man scratched his chin as he replied, "Sorry ma'am, but the sender asked me to keep it anonymous."

She returned the clipboard to him and he bid her a good day before leaving. Curiosity was really getting to her now. First Yuffie, then Barret and now the kids? She looked down and saw the same initials as before. Both boxes were from T.B.B.

"Kids, come down here, I have something for you!" she called up stairs to them.

When the two entered the room they were a bit surprised to see the boxes. "Are those for us?" asked Marlene.

"Yes," Tifa replied. "I wonder what T.B.B. got you guys?"

The kids went to work opening their packages. Marlene pulled out the small note that was on the top and read it out loud. "_I notice you get a little lonely when the grown ups are busy, so here's some friends to keep you company~"_

A big smile appeared on her face as she lifted up one of the many stuffed animals from the box. "They're so cute!" The one she hugged to her looked like a miniature, kitten version of their friend Nanaki. Tifa had to admit the giant cat-like creature looked cute in plushie form.

Denzel was next. He opened his box and saw that there were books inside. He picked up the note and read it. "_You can't just hop on one and learn as you go. These books will help you understand the inner workings of almost every make and model~"_

Denzel opened one of the books and failed to hold back his smile. These books were all about motorcycles!

Tifa helped the kids bring their new gifts upstairs. It took a while to help Denzel find a place for all of his books without making a mess. Marlene just dumped all of her new plushies on her bed and was now admiring each one of them.

When she came back down she was surprised by the sight that laid before her in the bar. On every table and across the bar were large sunflowers. A note was tied to the biggest one. _"I didn't think there was anything else on Gaia as radiant that could measure up to someone who can brighten a room so easily ~ T.B.B."_

Tifa was surprised to say the least, but she was also flattered. With a fond smile, she realized who the mysterious T.B.B. was.

Later that afternoon everyone started arriving. As Tifa assumed, all of her friends had received a gift from T.B.B. Nanaki received several of his favorite foods, Cid received several packs of cigarettes, which Tifa had forbidden him from smoking inside. Reeve had received several rare items he needed to work on some of his projects. and Vincent received several cases of ammo for his custom gun.

Barret was showing off his favorite of the new upgrades for his arm. "Whoever this T.B.B. guy is, he sure knows his stuff! Could've used his help in the past."

"I'll say," Cid added, "The guy definitely knows my favorite brand. Twenty-eight fresh packs of the best smokes from here to Wutai."

"Funny, that's how many treats were in my package," replied Nanaki.

"That's how many new materia I got," Yuffie added.

Tifa blinked at the realization, "Marlene, how many stuffed animals did you get?"

"Twenty-eight! I counted 'em three times!"

"I got twenty-eight books," replied Denzel.

"I received twenty-eight cases of ammo," added Vincent.

It was strange. Everyone had received twenty-eight of what they had been given. Tifa couldn't hide the smile from her face. Yuffie noticed it.

"So, did T.B.B. send you anything, Tifa?"

Everyone looked to her and she was about to answer when the sound of a motorcycle approached before cutting off. A tired-looking Cloud Strife entered the bar and seemed surprised to see everyone there.

"Hey, what's going on? The world's not ending again, is it?"

Yuffie playfully bounded over and leaned her arm on his shoulder, "No, thank Gaia! It's your birthday! Why wouldn't we be here?"

At this, the blonde couldn't hide a small smile, "Come on guys, it's not really that big of a deal, I didn't even take the day off work."

"Speaking of big deal," Cid added, "You get anything from some guy named T.B.B.?"

Cloud shook his head, "No, why?"

It was Barret who answered, "Cuz' that guy's been sending us stuff all day long! Denzel got a bunch'a books, Marlene's got 'erself a bunch'a dolls-"

"Plushies," she corrected.

"Right, plushies, Cid got smokes, Yuffie got materia and-"

"I get it, everyone got something," Cloud cut him off before he continued his rant. "Any idea who this guy is? Makes me wonder what they'll send me? I hope it's not a bunch of swords. My Fusion Sword's already got enough blades, I don't need anymore."

Cid innocently whistled as he glanced nervously over at the gift he had brought.

The group pondered over the identity of the mysterious sender until their heads hurt. Cid's remedy to that was, "Bring on the booze!" The kids were given soda as the rest fo the grown ups toasted the birthday boy, which he tried to shy away from. Especially when Reeve made a speech and both Barret and Cid shouted, "Here here!"

Yuffie insisted on Karaoke which Cloud was forced to join in on, despite his shyness he had a good singing voice, though it wasn't as good as it was the last time Denzel had caught him singing. The swordsman had done a better job of masking his accent this time around. He sent a silent thanks to the gods that nothing country came on, since Yuffie seemed obsessed with the 'randomize' button.

Next came the Cake and the dreaded "Happy Birthday" song. Nanaki had a nice voice, though Vincent left the singing to the others. Yuffie and Cid were singing bad enough for everyone. It didn't help that they were drunk. Cloud found it rather comical, even if he didn't laugh.

After cake came the presents. Cid tried to hide his present, but Cloud mentioned that while he didn't need twenty-eight swords, he never said he couldn't use a 'single' one that the pilot had custom ordered for him. It was a pretty sharp blade. Both in style and deadly accuracy. The swordsman gave it a few test swings only for Tifa to threaten to pound him if he so much as nicked the furniture.

The kids gave him special polish for his sword which Tifa had helped them pick out, Reeve gave him a new attachment for Fenrir that would make it easier for him to carry more deliveries at once as well as carry heavier loads without off-setting the bike's natural balance. A pretty nifty invention Cloud had to admit and one he would make good use of. Yuffie's gift was a bit strange, but it may prove useful. Two free nights of watching the kids whenever Cloud and Tifa wanted time to spend with each other. The only exception was if she was treasure hunting. Cloud silently wondered when she _wasn't_ treasure hunting.

The rest of the presents were all things that Cloud used every other day or random items where the thought behind it counted the most. This was partly Cloud's fault since he rarely talked about things he liked. The kids started getting tired and Cloud helped Denzel upstairs while Barret followed carrying a very sleepy Marlene in his arms. She didn't get to be tucked in by him very much and Barret wanted to do it.

Once tucked in bed, Barret laid some of her new plushies around her. Cloud removed some of the books that were scattered on the boy's bed as the twelve-year old took off his shoes and got settled. As the two men left the room there was a faint echo of "Happy Birthday, Cloud. Good night." from the kids.

The blonde smiled as he turned off the light, "Goodnight," he replied as he closed the door behind him.

The party didn't last much longer after that. There was of course, a few stories exchanged from previous battles. Reliving the good times that made them the good friends they were now. As everyone said their goodbyes, Cloud noticed that they all seemed happier this year than on his last Birthday. Perhaps it was all of the surprises sent to them by the mysterious sender. As Vincent passed, he gave Cloud a knowing look and then left with only three words, "Happy birthday, Cloud."

The blonde nodded as the caped ex-Turk made his exit. Nanaki was the last to leave and Cloud reminded him he was welcome to stop by anytime. With a friendly nod the lion took off into the night, his fire-lit tail glowing into the darkness before he turned a corner and was out of sight. Now it was just him and Tifa.

He turned to see her watching him from the where she stood, leaning over from behind the bar. "So, Mr. T.B.B., how did you pull it off? Sending all of those packages to everyone? All in the same day? That's a feat even for you."

Cloud scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "You figured it out huh? I wasn't surprised when Vincent saw through it, but I didn't think anyone else would. What gave me away?"

"Oh, the just the fact that everyone got twenty-eight of everything. You should have seen their reactions, it was almost like it was their birthday."

"Good, then my plan worked," Cloud replied.

"But, this was _your_ special day, if anyone deserved to be showered with gifts, it was suppose to be you," she lectured him.

"You know me better than that Teef, I've never really been excited about my birthday. I'd rather make everyone else's day better instead of them having to worry about me."

Tifa only shook her head, "Cloud Strife, you are the most unselfish person I have ever met. I swear, if you do one more unselfish thing tonight I'm gonna,...I don't know exactly, but it'll be a dousey."

"That reminds me," Cloud said as he reached behind him and pulled out another Sunflower. "I was in a hurry to make sure Reeve and Nanaki's packages arrived on time and I realize that I left out one flower. Here's number twenty-eight."

She made her way around the bar and accepted the sunflower that he held out for her, before she did what she warned him what she was going to do.

Here came the dousey. She grabbed his shirt collar and pulled the surprised swordsman into a deep, passionate kiss.

Cloud appreciated each gift his friends had given him, but this one was his favorite and he was only too willing to give it back. He didn't need twenty-eight of them, one was enough. One was plenty and it was that one gift that made this the best Birthday ever.

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_A/N: Happy Birthday Cloud! I finally got this finished for you in time for your birthday! Phew, now excuse me while I collapse. x_x; _

_I couldn't begin to tell you how many different stories I started for his birthday fic. One was a group camp out with Zack in the woods surrounding Gongaga, another was a trip to the beach, another was a Kingdom Hearts birthday party, another was a humor story about Sephiroth and the Remnants wanting to give him something (But I just couldn't figure out what they should give him), there were two others, but they fizzled out pretty quickly as well. The Gonagaga one wasn't too bad and was a close runner-up. It just would have taken too long to write and since Cloud's birthday is __**tomorrow **__I figured it was best to keep it short and sweet. _

_This one was inspired after I heard a story about a guy who did something really awesome for his 21st Birthday. Instead of going out and drinking as he had turned the legal age, he decided instead to do 21 good deeds. They were small, but they really mattered and brightened up people's day. Kudos to you dude! That was awesome. The sunflowers were inspired by a photo I saw on google of Cloud leaning against the bar of 7th Heaven, holding the flowers in his arms. It was such a cute pic and really helped this story get solid footing. Plus I loved the expression on his face. He seemed so happy, like he was having a good day and I wanted to express that here. _

_Yes, there are a few references from some of my other stories in here. I couldn't help it, it was there. xD Also, bonus points to anyone who can guess what T.B.B. stands for. :)_


End file.
